When you come and visit Jakarta, you will most likely arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. One thing that you need to remember when you arrive in Jakarta: if you need a taxi, you will need to order it at the booth just outside the baggage claim area; unlike other airports in the world where you line up in a taxi queue.

However, if you already know where you are staying, just kindly ask the hotel to pick you up prior to your arrival.

There are several places that we would recommend to visit when you are in Jakarta:

• Ancol is Jakarta’s largest and most popular recreation park. Located in North Jakarta, Ancol offers a variety of attractions, including Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy Land) amusement park, sea and fresh-water aquariums, water parks, an artificial lagoon for fishing and boating, a bowling alley, as well as an assortment of nightclubs and restaurants. For more detailed information, you can visit their official website at www.ancol.com.
• Kepulauan Seribu or Thousand Islands is a string of more than 300 islands just off Jakarta. Most of the islands are beautiful & secluded. Personally, I would recommend visiting Ayer Island, which is only 14km from Ancol Port (30 minutes of boat ride). Ayer Island is famed for its amazing sunset. For your accommodation, you can stay at Pulau Ayer Resorts and Cottages for as low as IDR 800,000/USD 80 per night. For packages and room reservation, you can go to www.pulauayer.com.
• Visiting Jakarta without shopping is like going to Hawaii without sun bathing. In Jakarta, shopping malls are everywhere. If you are looking for upscale and exclusive shopping centers, you might want to go to malls in the South Jakarta area, such as Plaza Indonesia, Grand Indonesia, Plaza Senayan, Senayan City or Pacific Place.
• On the other hand, if you are on a tighter budget, you might want to go to Mangga Dua district in Central Jakarta. Mangga Dua district is one of the most packed commercial areas in Jakarta. There are five giant shopping centers that are inter-connected: Mangga Dua Mall, Harco Mas Mangga Dua, ITC Mangga Dua I, ITC Mangga Dua II and Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua. In these shopping centers, you can find everything from clothing, accessories, cell phones and other electronics and with a little bit of negotiation skill, you might be surprised to get the same deals as the locals. Don’t worry; we will share how local people negotiate and get the best prices. Make sure to keep checking Turisku.com
• For buying clothes, the two best choices are the ITC Mangga Dua and the Pasar Pagi mangga Dua. Fashion lovers will be amazed with what they can buy there with minimum budget. Most of the goods can be bargained so definitely compare prices between stores before purchase since there is no such thing as refund there. For Electronics Shopping, Harco Mas Mangga Dua offers astonishing price tags. With a little extra bargain, you will most likely get a lower price than any other places in Jakarta.

In addition to all the attractions in Jakarta, you might want to explore the tasty and unique cuisine of Jakarta. On our next article, we will list some of the most popular restaurants in Jakarta to local hot spots for eating.

There are two ways to get to Ketapang: by air or by sea. Supadio airport in Pontianak serves weekly flights to Ketapang. Or, if you prefer, you can also take an express boat, which is considerably a longer trip. One thing that I first noticed when I arrived in Ketapang was that there were many swallow birds flying freely. Harvesting Swallow’s nest (a Chinese cuisine delicacy) is a very popular business here. So, if you are an aggressive businessman who likes to seize every opportunity, visiting Ketapang can be worthwhile.

The highlight of my trip was “Pagatimun,” a hidden beach that offers tranquility & solitude. The beach is approximately 1.5 hours drive from Ketapang. It goes deep to an area that is hardly touched by tourists or travelers, even the locals themselves. The sound of the waves breaking was as calming as the sound of stars above. Pagatimun offers serenity that you may not find anywhere in the world.

On my way back from Ketapang, I decided to stay for a couple of days in Pontianak. Pontianak, “Kota Khatulistiwa” or Equator City, is the place to visit to experience wonderful culinary creations. It is called “Kota Khatulistiwa” because the city is located precisely on the equator line. Many travelers transit here before their long journey deep into jungles of Kalimantan via the Kapuas River. There are, however, many other attractions here that you may want to explore. Places to visit and attractions in Pontianak are coming soon as we launch our informative site.

Interesting fact

The name “Pontianak” comes from a folklore. It is said that Pontianak means “pregnant with child” and she was the ghost that haunted the first group who arrived in the uninhabited area of Pontianak.

Ketapang / Pagatimun Images

12►

Our trip began when we took a Lion Air flight from Jakarta to Manado. The flight from Jakarta took about 3 and ½ hours and cost us about Rp. 450,000 .Visit Indonesia facts page for currency converter. It did not feel long at all because we were very excited about this trip. Imagine having the feeling of visiting one of the most beautiful diving spots in the world. Our excitements rushed through our veins as our plane landed at Sam Ratulangi Airport.

Upon our arrival, we took a taxi to our hotel in downtown Manado. The ride cost us about Rp. 60,000. One thing that you always have to remember when traveling in Indonesia is that everything is negotiable. So remember to always Bargain Bargain Bargain!

For your first visit to Manado, there are a couple of ways to enjoy the diving experience at Bunaken. First option, you can stay in Manado (like we did) and take a boat in the morning to the nearby islands to start your diving trip. Your second option is to actually stay in one the five islands around Manado and enjoy the ultimate diving experience as soon as you get up from your bed. It does not matter which options you choose, you will be inspired by the beauty of Bunaken.

During our visit, we decided to stay in Manado because we wanted to explore the other attractions of North Sulawesi. We stayed at Ritzy hotel, located 10 minutes walk from the harbor. The hotel is one of the upscale hotels in Manado. As soon as we arrived, we visited the mainland attractions, such as Lake Tondano, located in the Minahasa highland. Lake Tondano offers a serene environment deep in the mountains. We had the luxury of hiring a guide for all of our trips. A guide is highly recommended for various reasons, especially comfort. A guide will cost you from Rp. 400,000 to Rp. 600,000, depending on where you are going. This price usually includes the car rental, gas, and all the information that you want to know from the guide. This does not include, however, your food and your guide’s food. That’s right; we have to pay for our guide’s meals during the trip. Hotels usually have these guides on standby if you need them.

The next day, we went for our first diving experience. Important to remember: Make sure you already have your diving certificate. You can also complete your diving certificate here if you want to do so. We went to Bastianos diving resort to arrange our diving itinerary. We can only say one thing of our diving experience: It was marvelous. Clear visibility up to 30 meters, warm refreshing water temperature, 3,000 types of fish and 300 types of coral. It was nothing like we had ever seen before.

Diving price here usually varies from resort to resort. One thing for certain is that you need to pay for admission to enter the marine park, whether you are diving or not. Daily admission is Rp. 50,000 or Rp. 150,000 for a full year admission. As I have mentioned before, diving package usually varies from resort to resort. There are five main islands that you can choose to visit: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Montehagen, Nain and Siladen. Each island offers different ecosystem, thus different diving experience. If you are an experienced diver, you can go for more challenging dives near Siladen Island.

We went on four dives, mainly near Bunaken. There are actually more information about Manado and Bunaken that we would like to share, which would make a very interesting book. We are currently developing an informative site, apart from this blog, that will give you a more detailed information and resources for Manado and Bunaken. That’s our commitment to you. In the meantime, leave comments and please join our mailing list for constant updates. New articles are posted weekly and next week we are going to fly to Pontianak and Ketapang for another delightful Indonesian experience.

Hotels in Manado:

• Ritzy Hotel Manado
• Hotel Santika Manado
• Travello Hotel Manado
• Siladen Resort and spa
• Bastianos Dive Resort
• Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort
• Bunaken Village Resort
• Froggies Divers
• Two Fish Divers

Manado Map

Bunaken Marine Park map

Weekly flights

• Silk Air to Singapore (4 times a week)
• Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia (3 times a week)
• For any other countries, depart from Jakarta International Airport (frequent flights) Ticket ranges from Rp. 600,000.

Manado / Bunaken Images

12►

Turisku is the perfect place for you to find local deals, facts, tips and tricks that are known only to the locals. It is designed to become an interactive platform for travelers and tourists who are eager to visit Indonesia. We provide travel information that you will not find anywhere else on the web.

• Looking for a place that is a hidden gem in Indonesia?

You have come to the right place. Every week we are going to showcase different locations in Indonesia and we will share some of things that you wouldn’t find just by reading a traveler book. Our goal is provide “the most comprehensive detailed to the point” Indonesian travel information.

Remember; the main site is still under development and we will provide you with everything you need to find those hidden gems in Indonesia. In the mean time, start reading this blog and subscribe above for constant updates. Contact us if you have questions, comments or critiques. We will be happy to be of service!